The Turtleduck Prince
by scratch-this
Summary: A twist on the tale ‘the Swan Princess,’ centering on a lonely cursed prince, a hopeless captured peasant, and the princess who caused it all. [Zutara]
1. Prologue

Title - The Turtleduck Prince

Author - scratch-this

Rating - T

Pairing - Katara/Zuko (don't like, totally NOT my problem)

Word count - 637

Disclaimer - Avatar and respective characters belong to Mike and Bryan.

Notes - Started for the _Animated Zutara Challenge_ at the lj community **katarazuko** but because of outcome of popular opinion will now be a chapter fic. As for the animated equivalent it would be _The Swan Princess_ (who made that film, Fox?).

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**Prologue**

The full moon sent her glittering light along the water of the pond that lay in the middle of the royal courtyard of the Fire Nation's mighty palace. On that man made pond sedately sat a lone turtleduck, whose gaze was transfixed on the slow moving ray. It traveled ever so slowly toward where the creature waded in the shallow water. Closer and closer it crept toward the fowl, taunting him purposefully, but the creature remained unmoved by her insult.

Closer and closer came the moonlight.

Stiller and stiller stayed the duck.

Until, finally, it touched a tip of the little turtleduck's shell.

And thus began something strange. With that single touch the creature illuminated a bright yellow hue, and, as if on cue, a brilliant dark turquoise veil of glistening water engulfed the animal, like a predator would its prey. Electricity shot through the air and all was still with expectation. Nature held her breath…

…and then let it go.

The veil fell. Splashing away and where was once a small turtleduck now stood a glaring prince who tilted his scared face vehemently at the full white moon.

She teasingly twinkled back in reply.

"Such a lovely night, wouldn't you say?" A mocking voice interrupted his quarrel with the haughty moon.

The prince turned toward the sound, cloaking his would be hateful expression with a mask of cold indifference. He could not allow his visitor the upper hand, and a show of any sort of emotion could cause him more anguish than he already felt. Why further his torment? She'd leave him soon enough if her nightly amusement was found lacking, as it had been since he'd learned to deal with this… situation. "Good evening, Azula."

"I would have come by earlier but you were…preoccupied." She said the last word with a wicked grin and then continued her insults: "Oh, how full your days are brother dear."

He just stared back at her unmoved and unimpressed.

So, their game of bait and bite began, or ended, depending on how sharply she tried or how tactfully he replied. Tonight, he won. He did not bite. She became bored and left.

And now he was alone again. Always alone it seemed, well except for his sister, but that didn't count as company. Solitude doesn't necessarily rely on the quantity of the persons around but the quality. Azula's quality left little to be desired and thus he was alone. And he supposed, no, he knew that it was to be forever this way. Until he died or until she did it for him.

Then again, did it matter which?

- - - -

Katara sighed as she watched the moon, her element's strength and once upon a time friend, distinguish herself in the night sky like a pearl that had fallen from its strand upon a navy hued carpet.

Oh, how long had it been? Two? Three? Four months? She really couldn't tell anymore. In the beginning she had scratched a mark on her cell wall with each setting of the sun to help her keep track. After a while though, with the marks increasing in number more than her mind would allow her to bear, she had stopped. And now she was uninformed and, more importantly, imprisoned for what she assumed would be a very, _very_, long time.

She thought that it would be fitting for her to cry at this dire acknowledgement, but in truth she had given up long ago. Her heart was sore from hope now wasted and dead. The belief that she could help, that she could change the fates of men was a childish fancy that was now, and had been for some time, broken and beaten to its appropriate place: lifeless and beneath the ground.

Hope would never take hold of her again.

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_Okay, so there's the prologue. Reviews are love! And YES, I realize how horrible the grammar and stuff is. I tried. Constructive criticism is always helpful but be nice, okay? Flames are rude._


	2. Part the First

Title - The Turtleduck Prince

Author - scratch-this

Rating - T

Pairing - Katara/Zuko (otp)

Word count - 1,590 (or something like that...yeah...)

Disclaimer - Yeah, not mine. Good job Mike & Brian!

Notes - This started out for the _Animated Zutara Challenge_ at the LJ community **katara zuko** but grew into a fic of its own. As for the animated equivalent it would be _The Swan Princess_. This chapter is dedicated to **renuki **aka **veglma** because she rocks like an earthbender! Still un-betaed. If you would like to beta please let me know! ;)

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**Part the First**

"You know what this means, don't you Zuko?" her cold and calculating voice did not dissuade his fighting stance, which, surprisingly, was directed at her.

He smirked in reply "That you, the perfect princess, made a mistake." With this next statement he accentuated every word, so that she would not miss a beat of its implication. "That _I_ tricked _you_."

Fire flashed behind her eyes and his smirk grew ever the wider. He was right and she knew it. She had thought he was with her, but he played her for a fool. i Who would have guessed, my brother, a strategist/i It would have been funny, had they not been at war. And what made the matter even less humorous was the fact that standing between herself and her intended target, the person who started this whole ordeal, was someone she had trusted.

Azula pushed the rage back, pushed it back into the hidden recesses of her twisted, unholy soul. It threatened to consume her. She refused to let it. A mistake had been made, and now it was time to _correct_ it. He would pay.

- - -

And pay he had.

Zuko repressed the memory that had started, no, he remedied, ended it all. Because i He /i had lost and victory had fallen away into the hands of those least deserving of it. Thus, for his betrayal against king and country, he became a condemned man. An existence as both fowl and man was his sentence, his curse. He guessed this hinted toward Azula's humor and, possibly, her compassion.

So, herein lies the question: Did he regret it?

Never.

And yet, the knowledge that he did not regret his admirable deed did not necessarily ease the pain of punishment night after night. If only he had someone to confide in, if only for an hour or so. It goes without saying that one begins to wonder about one's sanity when all one has is the moon, the plant life, and the occasional psychotic sister to interact with. So, it is no surprise that he has found himself, on occasion (_Alright, every night_.) talking to the air.

It is said that the first sign of insanity is conversing with oneself.

----

"YOU!" escaped in a rush of air from her lips. Immediately her body readied in defense.

He ignored her exclamation and fighting stance. Gripping her arm tightly, he began to drag her alongside him.

It took her a moment to shake off the shock, but once it was removed she fought against his pull. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He glared at her, eyes unreadable. "If you wish to save the Ava-, your friend, you will." He had not meant it as a threat nor did she take it as one. For he said it with an honesty she had heard only once before. It was a fact, plain and simple.

For a moment they stood stock still staring at each other. A shared memory past between them of an unexpected situation, of an unwanted companionship, of a sympathetic ear, of a whisper of a touch, of an opportunity to heal, of a sign of forgiveness, of a chance to trust, of an unneeded interruption, of a life-altering decision, of an unfortunate betrayal, and of a livid glare given in an angry battle.

For some, it is in their nature to be trusting; such it is with Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. She followed him.

She followed him to the end of it all. Together, through some secret passageway, they reached the throne room of the Fire Lord and stole admission to the middle of a fight to the death.

Surprisingly, the pair engaged in combat was not the two Katara had expected to see.

Aang, yes. Azula, no.

Later on, of course, she knew conflict with Azula would inevitably occur, but she had assumed Ozai to be the first opponent. Then again, she had not anticipated a helping hand from Prince Zuko either.

But, if Aang was fighting Azula, where was Fire Lord Ozai?

She must have been entirely too obvious in her silent inquires of the Fire Lord's whereabouts, for the young man beside her stated simply, with no emotion (_Or is he hiding it well?_) "He was gone before you came."

_What does that mean?_ And she had intended to ask, but her heart was too soon overjoyed at the sight of her two companions from whom she had been separated earlier. The emergence of Toph and Sokka through a sudden make-shift door lightened her spirits, if only briefly.

For within the next few minutes the fate of the world would be set for generations to come.

These four souls had intended to join the fray with the purpose of aiding their teammate in his, or her, duel. However, this action was not permitted for at the moment of intervention the barge on the door broke. Two female warriors Katara had thought the aforementioned pair had taken care of arrived battered but not yet beaten. The expressions of both Sokka and Toph were alike in their surprise and irritation.

"Your auras are red." Ty Lee half giggled. Her characteristic comment lacked her usual humor. No, there was no doubt a hint of sarcasm present in her tone.

Thus the war continued on in earnest. Knives cut though the air with a dangerous purr. Arctic water lashed out freezing offending attacks as well as offenders. Hands and limbs launched in furious precision stopping chi. To and fro went a once gleaming, now blood incrusted, boomerang. Earth smashed its soiled assault like a battering ram. Fire raged, scorching skin already black-and-blue with injury.

There was no real opponent set upon another among the group hostility, save the original fire and air. Katara realized that, once again, Prince Zuko was her enemy. She put aside no time to ponder this, or feel confusion concerning earlier events.

It was silly really, this display. They were all just children, fighting a very grown-up war. Fate is cruel. Life is cruel. And it was about to become even crueler than any she had ever envisioned.

A scream echoed, piercing every ear. It told of pain, such a vast amount of pain.

Katara turned. Azula, mouth agape from harsh breaths and hisses, had given the outcry. Aang had wounded her across the shoulder with her own element. The princess, like the prince, would no doubt be scarred.

It occurred to Katara, that she had never seen anyone quite so upset in her lifetime. True, the Avatar state that Aang would occasionally resort to was prompted by anger, but that had been on behalf of others. His selfless reaction to save a friend. Her fury was purely selfish. It was terrifying.

Her eyes seemed to shine with eerie revulsion as she examined her cindered garment. Blood seeped through in a hurry, as if unconcerned for its owner and rejoicing at the possibility of escape. No doubt her wound reminded her of a certain dishonored young man.

She charged.

Aang, who had been surprised by her pause, set into belated defense. And in one quick breath, one swift blink, it happened.

Lightening struck.

It took a moment for Katara to determine who had been struck by blue fire. They were so close together, so very close.

Then Aang fell. _Oh no. No, no, please, no. Please!_

And she ran. Fast.

- - - -

It had been her own fault. She had raised her hopes too high; far above the height hopes ought to go. It had past the sky, from where i He /i had come, and then beyond the moon, the stars, the planets and then to areas she could only imagine, for no hard knowledge of her hopes' far-reaching destination was known.

When she held him in her arms (_I'm here Aang, I'm here._) and spoke lies of loving reassurance (_It's alright, you did it. Don't be silly, I told you so didn't I? I always said you'd save the world._) she knew she would never be the same. At that moment her heart had hardened and the soul that once understood the most beautiful of emotions now only comprehended failure and foolishness. For who in their right mind would ever put the weight and hopes of the entire world in the hands of a twelve year old boy?

Not soon after she was dragged bruised and broken into this very cell. She had no idea what they had done with Aang's body, or if Sokka had received any medical treatment for his wounds. As for Toph, well, an ability to bend metal might hinder any chance of captivity and when captivity isn't an option, the only other solution is…

She laughed bitterly. Solitude was unfriendly for it caused a repetition of thought. And Katara's thoughts were of those not willing, nor needing, to be repeated. Looking out at the moon, she remembered Yue and her sacrifice in return for the safety of her people. Did she know it had been in vain? She ought to tell her.

At her remark, Yue glowed brighter in the sky, as if about to burst like one who has a secret that they wish to tell but don't know how or are unable.

"What is it?" questioned the lonely girl. She hadn't expected a reply nor did she receive one. At least, that's what she thought. How can anyone anticipate an answer from the moon? And how many know what the moon's response shall be?

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_OMG!!! THE ANGST! I ain't gunna lie, Katara's part made me feel like a horrible person for writing Aang's death and the lies she told him. SOOOO SAADDD!_

_…Alright, I'm over it._

_I realize that the Avatar state isn't necessarily "selfless" but I needed an opposite for Azula and that was what I came up with. shrug_

_Oh, so I looked up aura colors and RED ANGER, BLACK DEATH. So, yeah, there was some studying involved. Yup._

_Yes, yes, I realize there is entirely not enough Zutara (and the part that does have it is a bit…unparallel and I don't like that sentence but whatever. I tried to do this timeline in the space of one sentence…not sure it worked.) interaction thus far, but remember that thing called plot? Yes, that's the one! We must try to humor that little detail. ;D_

_And, as always, reviews are love (They feed the writer's soul, man!) and constructive criticism is welcome. Seriously, let me know if a sentence needs a comma or isn't parallel or whatever grammatical error I managed to make._


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